Players Are Warming To The Idea Of Fall Ball * Some 225 Local Youngsters Are Currently Playing The Sport Most Associated With Summers.

September 19, 1997|by ERNIE LONG, The Morning Call

In Pennsylvania during the fall, football is undisputed king.

Soccer and field hockey may be the prince and princess while golf, tennis and volleyball are the dukes and duchesses.

But baseball, around here, has been for "The Boys of Summer" -- until recently.

Now, with the growing popularity of the Bill Fritzinger "Fall" High School League and the associated Lehigh Valley Prospects team, falling leaves and cooler temperatures has many area athletes dragging out their bats and gloves rather than their shoulder pads and mouthpieces.

The Fritzinger League was formed in 1992 by the former Emmaus High baseball coach, now deceased, as a way to keep area stars involved in the sport for more than just the spring and summer months.

It's no secret that much of the collegiate and professional baseball talent comes from warm-weather states like California and Florida where baseball is played practically year 'round. That allows players to develop their talent and gives scouts a better chance of getting a glimpse at a prospect.

In the six years of the league's existence, close to 60 prospects have received grant-in-aid or scholarship monies toward college educations, according to club co-director Dan Waelchli. Four players have been drafted -- Glenn Kushma of Emmaus, P.J. Yoder and O.J. Cook of Liberty, and Brian Schneider of Northampton.

"Every time we get one of our kids into a college, it opens up a pipeline for future kids," said Waelchli, who spends his springs as the Parkland High coach.

The college and pro scouts turn out for a series of tournaments held up and down the Eastern seaboard from August to October.

Lehigh Valley baseball fans, hungry to see some local hardball action since the Allentown Ambassadors and Blue Mountain and Tri-County leagues concluded their seasons, were treated to an amateur showcase last weekend when the fourth annual Lehigh Valley Fall Baseball Festival was held at Earl F. Hunsicker Bicentennial Park and Coplay's Sammy Balliet Stadium.

The L.V. Prospects, comprised of the the best juniors and seniors from area schools, took on teams from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York and Maryland.

Games lasted seven innings -- or two hours -- but no score was kept.

More than 30 scouts were among the several hundred people in attendance.

"If I don't have quality kids in the tournament, the scouts won't come back," said Waelchli. "We look to improve it every year and offer the best quality we can. It's earned quite a reputation.".

After inviting a large group of prospective players to an August tryout -- based on coaches's recommendations and a scouting/screening process -- the L.V. squad was pared down to a 20-man roster.

The first tourney was held in Bridgewater, Va. in early September. The next is slated for Oct. 3-4 at Prince Williams County Stadium in Woodbridge, Va. Then there's the Greater Raleigh Area/North Carolina Baseball Bonanza (Oct. 17-19) and there are even plans for a trip to Florida over the Christmas holiday to participate in a professional baseball academy.

In all, the L.V. Prospects will play in 20 games.

"It's as good as it gets for scholastic baseball," said Waelchli, who stressed that the organization does not try to "steal" athletes from other fall sports.

"They've come to us. These are non-fall sport participants. If they're doing something in the fall that they're happy with, fine," said Waelchli.

"This is an opportunity for kids in cold-weather baseball areas to extend their season, work on skill areas and get themselves closer to the start of next year, as opposed to putting away the gear in July or August."

Many of the Prospects also participated in similar Carpenter Cup and American Legion All-Star Games last summer.

"They're developing some personal friendships and seeing another dimension of baseball previously not afforded them," said Waelchli.

Also, most of the Prospects came up through the ranks of the Bill Fritzinger League.

Begun with a group of 40 players six years ago, the league has grown to a membership of 225 players ranging from seventh to 12th grade.

The seventh and eighth graders participate in a player development league, with Dan Moyer as the commissioner; the ninth through 12th graders are in the Bill Fritzinger League, which plays a 10-game schedule and is headed by commissioner John Schreiner (Coplay Legion).

Waelchli and former long-time Allen head coach Gene Jani are general managers while Tom Shive (Central Catholic), Karl Rentzheimer (Pleasant Valley) and Greg Durrah (Easton) are field managers. In all, some 25 area coaches are involved.